Texas A&M Football: 5 Best Moments of 2011

It has been one of the most disappointing seasons ever for Texas A&M football. The excitement at the beginning of it all has not only been crushed by the end, but it has also been ground into the dirt and stomped on a few times.

The announcement of A&M's move to the SEC has kept some spirits high in Aggieland. Just knowing that the Aggies' undeniably lame tenure in the Big 12 will all be over in 2012 (the coincidence of it being in '12 is too fantastic) is a comfort for future seasons to come.

In this season, the Aggies have fallen five times by close margins, losing by a grand total of 17 points in those games. Of those five, one was in overtime by a touchdown, another in quadruple overtime by three points, and the other three by seven points together.

The disappointment of those five losses, along with the solid fall to OU in Norman, has left A&M with just enough wins to find itself in a bowl and a .500 regular season. For a team that is more than loaded with talent and started out the season ranked in the Top 10, ending it as the Aggies have is disgusting.

However, there have been some good moments in a season of letdown. We take a look at the Aggies' top five moments in the sun.

Scoring 61 on Kansas

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A&M came back to Kyle Field after two grueling road losses to OU by a large margin and K-State in quadruple overtime. With only five wins so far, the Aggies needed just one more to secure a spot in a bowl game.

The Jayhawks haven't exactly done well this season, losing every single conference game and barely pulling off two wins early on. They were the ideal candidate for A&M to play to make sure the Aggies got into the bowl season.

Tannehill and the offense not only performed, they destroyed Kansas. Scoring 44 in the first half alone, they finished the game with 61 points. One of the best all around games on both sides of the ball for A&M, it was one of the best moments for the Aggies everywhere.

Pulling off a Victory in Lubbock

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Texas Tech hasn't been kind to A&M as of late. Coach Leach was a powerful contender who won the majority of his matchups with the Aggies.

However, since Coach Tuberville took over the program two years ago, Sherman and company have owned the Red Raiders. QB Ryan Tannehill broke passing records last year at Kyle Field, crushing a Tech defense that until then had been very solid.

Considering A&M's move to the SEC, this matchup was possibly the last time the Aggies would take on the Red Raiders for years to come. Pulling off the victory in Lubbock meant millions to the Aggie faithful, as they are able to hold that win over Tech until A&M plays them next.

The Win over Baylor

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As A&M attempted to complete their SEC deal, Ken Starr and Baylor decided they would get in the way. As futile as it was, it frustrated Aggies that the Bears had the gall to try and stop Texas A&M from leaving the Big 12.

Even going as far as to make fake economic impact documents, Baylor was determined to at least slow down A&M's lateral movement into the Southeastern Conference. The Aggies saw their game against the Bears at home as a shot at revenge.

1:48 Left vs. Texas

Texas A&M started off the game against Texas well enough, jumping up by nine at the half. However, just as A&M usually does, they allowed the third quarter to get away from them.

UT scored 17 points to jump ahead by eight points by the time the fourth quarter rolled around. With some impressive defense, A&M scored a field goal to go down by only five. On the Aggies' last possession, they drove down the field and scored a touchdown on a long pass to WR Jeff Fuller, pulling ahead by one point.

As Fuller rolled into the end zone, the clock read 1:48 left in the game and A&M only had to hold UT to pull off the win. In that moment, the Aggies were on top of the world.

The Season Ending

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The horror is finally over. Even though the Aggies have a bowl game remaining, it really doesn't matter anymore.

The Aggies are entering their first season in the SEC, set to make new rivals and create a presence and reputation for themselves in a conference known for its football tradition. Their old rival refuses to talk to them, turning their backs to a university that has played them 118 times since 1894.

The Longhorns have no legitimate reason as to why they won't continue one of the oldest rivalries in the nation, claiming their non-conference schedule is full through 2018. In my humble opinion, there is no way that is true. Even if it were, UT should make space in their "busy" schedule for their oldest rival.

However, that choice is all up to the Longhorns as the Aggies will try to attempt to leave space in their schedule for UT for next season. This terrible season, however, is over and A&M can finally breathe a sigh of relief.